Chapter 10, Part 2: I Am a Kindergartener (5)

The next morning.

As soon as I arrived at the kindergarten, I had suddenly become a superstar.

The looks the kindergarten teachers gave me were all extraordinary.

They seemed to find me more impressive and paid more attention to me.

The children were the same.

Everyone wanted to sit next to me and chat with me.

It was a troublesome and annoying kind of popularity.

If I had been a real kindergartener, I might have been very proud, but I was a fake kindergartener.

My body was six years old, but my mind was middle-aged.

The attention I was getting was just burdensome and uncomfortable.

If my kindergarten attendance hadn't been for my parents' happiness, I probably would have escaped from kindergarten long ago.

During the class, Kim Ji-won and Son Seung-woo showed particular interest in me.

It felt like the Left Azure Dragon and the Right White Tiger.

Kim Ji-won sat on my left, and Son Seung-woo sat on my right.

One was talkative, and the other was quiet, creating a good balance.

Not knowing what other connections might reach me, I tried to play with the children at their level for the time being.

"Want to come over to my house after class? I have a lot of transforming robots at home."

As the dismissal time approached, Son Seung-woo suggested.

"Sorry, I have to go home early today."

"Really? Okay."

Son Seung-woo lowered his head, looking disappointed.

His dejected look was pitiful, but I really had something to do. Something important that could change our family's life.

"Were you scared yesterday? Are you not scared anymore?"

"I had a dream that someone was chasing me, but it's okay. Mom hugged me."

"You're brave, so you'll get through it."

"Really?"

"Yep. I believe in you."

I made a pinky promise with Son Seung-woo to encourage him. I didn't want him to develop trauma from the choking incident.

I didn't want his mental illness to turn into a physical one.

In my previous life, I had always shown particular concern and affection for young patients.

I don't know if it was because I had no children and treated young patients like my own, or if it was because I felt sorry for their incomplete lives.

Maybe it was both.

"Hehe. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Let's eat something delicious later. I still have the allowance your dad gave me."

"Okay."

Just as I finished talking with Son Seung-woo, my mother came to the kindergarten.

Since my father had gone to Son Seung-woo's father's publishing company, my mother, who was on a day off, came instead.

I slung my kindergarten bag over my shoulder and ran to my mother.

"Mom!"

"Did you have a good day, Faith?"

"Yes!"

"Hello, Faith's mother. I'm glad to finally meet you, the nurse."

One of the kindergarten teachers greeted my mother warmly.

"Ah, yes."

"Faith is really clever. She remembered the Heimlich maneuver she learned from you and saved her friend. Did you hear about what happened yesterday?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you. Faith, let's go."

"Yes, teacher. Goodbye."

After saying goodbye to the teacher, I left the kindergarten with my mother.

"Faith, by the way. I never taught you the Heimlich maneuver. How did you know it?"

My mother tilted her head and asked.

It was a reasonable question from her perspective, and it was one I had been preparing to answer since yesterday.

I answered with a very calm expression.

"I saw it in a book."

"A book?"

"A book for doctors. It had pictures, so I remembered it."

"You remembered it from just one look? And you even memorized the difficult name?"

My mother narrowed her eyes, sensing something was off.

"I just memorized it, I guess."

"Just?"

"Yes, just."

"Then why did you bring up Mom?"

"I thought the teachers wouldn't believe me if I said I learned it from a book. Look, Mom, you're thinking I'm strange too, right?"

I put on a sad expression, as if no one believed me.

If I kept acting like this, I might have to become an actor instead of a thoracic surgeon.

Anyway, my mother seemed to believe me.

Given my impressive track record as I grew up, it was understandable.

This is why a person's usual behavior is important.

"Of course I believe you, Faith. I was just curious. So, Faith, you lied to save your friend, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm... This time the result was good, but there's no guarantee it will always be. Be more careful with your words and actions in the future. Smart Faith, you understand what I'm saying, right?"

"Yes!"

"What a good girl."

My mother smiled and patted my head.

Although I was a thoracic surgeon who had seen it all, my mother's gentle touch always felt comforting.

'This land will be worth its weight in gold someday...'

As we walked home, I looked around with bright eyes.

Our family lived in Mokdong.

Since the 2000s, Mokdong has been renowned for its excellent school district and skyrocketing real estate prices.

However, in the mid-1980s, which is the current time,

Mokdong was a barren plain with shantytowns, a typical poor neighborhood.

The Anyangcheon River frequently flooded, making it a terrible place to live.

Mokdong only gained attention when the government built apartment complexes.

Even after the apartment complexes were built, it was still seen as a mediocre neighborhood for a while, but that perception changed surprisingly quickly.

I drooled as I looked at the apartment buildings sprouting up like mushrooms near our home.

If I waited until I was an adult, earning a doctor's salary and taking out a mortgage, I could buy an apartment.

But it would be foolish to wait that long.

If I bought an apartment now when it was relatively cheap, the price would skyrocket on its own.

Driven by the desire to create a cozy home for our family, my mind started racing.

The profits from the used bookstore and my father's novel publication.

My mother's steady income as a nurse and a housing loan.

If I added my own efforts (?!), we might be able to buy an apartment before I reached the third grade of elementary school.

The vague blueprint was starting to take a more concrete shape.

At the same time, I was filled with confidence that I could achieve everything I had planned.

"What are you thinking about, Faith?"

"About Mom."

It wasn't entirely wrong, as I was thinking about how nice it would be to live in an apartment with my mother.

"Even with Mom right here?"

"I miss Mom even when you're right here."

"Oh, look at you. Already advertising that your dad is a novelist?"

My mother laughed.

In fact, my mother had fallen for my father because of his charming personality and sweet words.

In my previous life, after he announced his retirement from writing,

and after he passed away from angina, I missed his humorous words.

"I hope Dad's publication goes well, right, Faith?"

"Yes."

"When Dad's book comes out, Grandpa and Grandma... No, let's not talk about that."

A shadow of sadness crossed my mother's face as she hastily finished her sentence.

My maternal grandparents were a sore spot for my mother.

So I didn't deliberately ask about them. Dealing with the shadow of my maternal side was something I would have to handle later.

We arrived at the used bookstore, chatting about various things.

Drrrr.

My mother opened the shutter and sat at the cash register.

With nothing to do, I read a book near my mother.

Today's book was 'The Prince.'

A classic masterpiece by the Italian philosopher Machiavelli, it describes human nature and the virtues a ruler should possess.

- A ruler who wants to maintain power should not be only good but also know how to be evil, and use both appropriately.

- A wise ruler creates a situation where subordinates must be loyal, while a foolish ruler forces loyalty and ends up betrayed.

...

'The Prince' was full of such golden sentences.

They were famous lines that made me nod in agreement even now.

In my previous life, I had acted in a way that was the exact opposite of what 'The Prince' taught.

First, I was too soft.

I lived thinking that being good was always the best. The clearest evidence was how I was used like a fool by Kang Tae-sub.

If I had been smarter, I could have manipulated Kang Tae-sub several times, but I missed all those opportunities.

Second, I failed to win the support of the people around me.

I thought that if I did my job well, people would naturally like me.

It was a serious misconception.

A foolish misunderstanding.

Working together for a long time doesn't automatically lead to intimacy.

So when I dreamed of revenge against Kang Tae-sub, no one was there to help me.

"But this time, it will be different."

I clenched my teeth in my heart.

My grudge won't fade until I give Kang Tae-sub a proper lesson for pushing me to the brink.

Ding~

The doorbell rang, and Go Mal-sook entered the bookstore.

The devil with perm hair.

A criminal who left our family with an unpayable debt and disappeared.

"Big sister is here?"

"Yep. I brought something for you on the way. Here, take it."

Go Mal-sook handed a large plastic bag to my mother.

I eyed the plastic bag.

Inside was a special item that would allow me to earn money even as a kindergartener.

It was also the reason I turned down Son Seung-woo's invitation to play.

"Thank you, Big sister. I don't know how to repay you for always helping us."

"It's nothing. We're neighbors, so I should help. Hehehe."

"Hello."

I greeted Go Mal-sook reluctantly.

"Faith is here too. Already reading a book?"

"Yes."

"You're so smart. My Min-seok didn't even read picture books at your age."

"..."

"By the way, aren't you tired? You should rest on your day off. Why are you trying to do a side job? What if you get hurt?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Hehe. I'm envious. You're so young and already working. Don't overdo it, and see you next time."

After Go Mal-sook left, my mother took something out of the plastic bag.

A doll as big as my head and tiny eyeballs.

My mother had been doing this side job of sewing doll eyeballs for a few days to cover my kindergarten expenses, which were a strain on our tight budget.

"Mom, I'll help. Faith."

Taking out the sewing kit, my mother started sewing the doll eyeballs diligently.

As a nurse who could insert IV lines in the pediatric ward, she was skilled at sewing.

My dexterity as a thoracic surgeon could also be attributed to my mother's genes.

'Should I try it too?'

Watching my mother, I loosened my hands a bit.

Although I was a kindergartener, I was quite adept with my small hands.

I had tried sewing on my own when my parents were out, and it felt similar to when I used to do housework.

I don't know why, but it seemed I had inherited my dexterity from my previous life as a thoracic surgeon.

In addition to reincarnation, I had received the gift of dexterity.

I didn't know the exact reason, but it was a blessing for me.

"Mom, can I try it once?"

I asked, trying to act as innocent as possible.

Starting from kindergarten, I planned to earn money by sewing doll eyeballs to help my parents buy an apartment.

The money earned from the side job might seem small at first, but it would add up to a significant amount.

Later, if I did a higher-paying side job, the profit would be even greater.

My parents would naturally try to stop me, but I had already prepared a way to persuade them.

While I was a muddled person in my previous life, I was now a meticulous one.

"Faith is too young. You might hurt your finger with the needle. You could bleed."

"I'm good with chopsticks. And you said I need to be good with my hands to become a doctor. Can I try just a little?"

Mixing charm and whining, I finally got my mother to give in.

She handed me the doll, thread, and needle. This was the ultimate weapon of a kindergartener: throwing a tantrum.

When used well, no adult can resist this tantrum.

A mild taste.

A spicy taste.

A very spicy taste.

I chose the very spicy taste.

My mother seemed to like the very spicy taste, and I wanted to show off my skills after being freed from the constraints of age.

Whirr.

The serious work of sewing doll eyeballs began.

5-0 suture thread.

I was the one who had performed microvascular anastomosis with thread as thin as a hair.

OPCAB (off-pump coronary artery bypass).

I was the one who had sutured coronary arteries while the heart was still beating.

Simple interrupted sutures.

Vertical or horizontal mattress sutures.

I was an expert in continuous sutures without breaking the thread.

Sewing doll eyeballs was nothing.

In the blink of an eye, I sewed both sides of the doll's eyeball. My hands, which remembered my past life's experience, moved as if they were dancing.

I was originally a person who could use my hands well, having overcome my tremors.

It was particularly frustrating to have been told to quit during my internship and first or second year of residency, despite having such skills.

"..."

On the other hand, my mother, who had been watching me, was so surprised that she lost her words.

It was a natural reaction.

My skills as a kindergartener were far superior to those of my mother, the ace nurse.

"Strange. Faith, am I dreaming?"

"It's not a dream."

"Can you do it one more time?"

"Yes!"

I sewed the doll's eyeball again as easily as breathing.

Phew, it's so easy. So easy~

"Wow... I'm at a loss for words."

"Hehe, did I do well?"

"You didn't just do well; you're a genius. A genius."

"I don't like being a genius. My friends said geniuses are the unluckiest people."

I deliberately acted childish.

The more naive a child seems, the easier it is to manipulate adults.

"The genius I'm talking about is a good one. Let's see. You sewed it quickly, but it's much more meticulous than mine, right?"

My mother compared the doll she had sewn with mine and whistled in amazement.

Watching my mother's shocked expression, I quickly did some calculations.

The number of dolls I could sew in a day.

The profit I could make from those dolls.

The profit I would make if I did more advanced sewing jobs later.

It seemed we might move into an apartment sooner than I thought.